Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Last night I arrived back in New Jersey. The Lakeshore Limited arrived on time at Penn Station and after getting back my huge suitcase, I waited for my Jersey Transit Train to take me home. Of course it was my luck that the appropriate train arrived at a track that was accessible only by going down 2 flights of steps. I stood at the top of the first flight, adjusting my grip on my two bags and beginning to haul them slowly down. A voice called out — "Can I help you with that?" A lovely woman turned around. I thanked her profusely and handed her the small bag. That gave me two hands to wrestle the big one. As we approached the second set of steps, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and a tall gentleman offered to do the wrestling for me. Thank you, Jersey-bound travelers for restoring my faith in humanity!

Once home, I took a little peek at my online trip diary here. I can see how the unreliable internet has played tricks with spacing and fonts, and typos point to my hurried typing. When I have a chance, I'll go back and fix that all up. Today I am back to reality. It was tough morning. After sleeping at home in my comfy bed with the Love of My Life (LOML) near, it was a restful night, but my body wanted more. My elbow and knee complained about being abused by the fall on the Amtrak platform. My back insisted it needed more rest after sleeping in the coach seat on the train. My stomach reminded me that it had been working double duty on lots of high carb foods, and my blood was sluggishly trying to get rid of the extra sugar and fat. "Stay in bed!" my body said. "Get to the office!" said the alarm. It was quite a battle. Eventually I got myself to work.

When I left for vacation, there was still talk of Jersey Shore time and warm sun. While I was gone, it rained almost constantly, and now that I am back, my Facebook feed is full of back-to-school photos. Summer is not over yet, and October holds the possibility of warm, sunny days. However, autumn will arrive, and with it, the strong yearly urge to reinvent, reconsider, reassess and redirect my life. I am not sure what my brain will come up with, but as the leaves turn it will be working overtime.

So, I won't be traveling on a train, but I'll be going places just the same — with the goal of living on the Smile Side of Life.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

This morning I feel like Goldilocks. I’ve ridden in a
train car that was too cold, one that was too painful, but this one was just
right! I got better sleep last night thanks to a much better temperature in the
car. When I did wake up to change positions I was treated to a beautiful clear
view of the moon, almost full, shining down on the train outside my window. As
the train pulled into Erie, PA, the sun and clouds treated me to a picturesque
sunrise.

Right now we are near Rochester, NY with the next stop
in Syracuse. Just the mention of Syracuse brings backs the memories of my
writer trip there, and my adventures centered around the birthplace of L. Frank
Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. I remember fondly my friend Carol, who
also connected with that story and the idea of finding a better place “Over the
Rainbow.” Here’s a salute to your memory Carol, may we meet again in Oz!

I have been wrapped up in my trip and my own escape
from stress and bad news, but my thoughts had turned often to the victims of
Hurricane Harvey and the current Hurricane Irma. My own experiences with
Hurricanes Floyd, Irene and Sandy taught me that the protection of life is more
important than any property. And while I
still see division and intolerance being perpetuated, my hope is that gets put
aside for the sake of all who will need assistance in the months (and maybe
years ahead.)

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The train pulled into Chicago Union Station around
4:15, just about 1.5 hours late. I am
beginning to think this might be a pattern. “Luckily,” the train I am taking
for my second leg of the trip does not leave until 9:30 PM. So I have a few
hours here.

After my calamity last time at Union Station, I decided to pay the
$20 fee for coach passengers to use the Legacy Club, a recently created lounge
for business class, sleeper passengers and coach passengers who ante up the
fee. The seating in here is much more comfortable than the polished pews out in
the great hall. Amenities include free soft drinks and coffee, snacks, private
bathrooms, dedicated Wi-Fi and cable TV. The atmosphere is quiet and subdued.

I am beginning to wonder, however, how anyone who
travels a lot and wishes to work online can tolerate the really terrible Wi-Fi.
Even here, in a “private” area with a 5-G connection, the signal drops. The coffee is quite good; it is made, per cup
by a machine featuring 3 Starbucks varieties. It is happy hour, so there is
beer — I will pass on that. However, the snacks are just bagged chips, jawbreaker
granola bars (you know the brand) and probably the best of the lot, almonds.
Luckily I have a juicy Iowa peach and an apple in my bag.

My idea to buy a blanket in the train station has been foiled, as there are only food places here — unlike Penn Station in NYC or Union Station in DC which have stores selling things you don't even know you need.

But all that is really secondary, because what I am
really here for is the priority boarding. I have no intention of getting
trampled on the platform again. Today, I was able to observe that many areas of
the yellow bumpy safety edging had holes in them and pieces ripped off. Perfect
to catch a small swivel suitcase wheel and cause the bag and the owner to be
pitched face-first to the platform. Those bruises and abrasions are not healed,
6 days out. I don’t need any more.

Today’s train was due to depart at 9:54 AM from Mount
Pleasant, Iowa. Text messages began dinging me early, letting me know the train
was delayed, and delayed and delayed. It finally arrived at the station at
12:10 PM. The fortunate thing is that Mount Pleasant is a tiny town, my son’s
house was about 5 minutes away, and I got to spend the morning with my family.
I was able to see the older one off to
here first day of pre-school, and then pick her up and bring her to the train
station to hang out for a while as I waited.

The Mount Pleasant train station
is a simple one room building. Once there was an active ticket window but no
more. The waiting area was full of uncomfortable wooden benches with severe
armrests that prevented even a thought of stretching out or slumping. Tough
stock, these Iowans.

Luckily, right next to the train station was the coffee
depot with a large, comfortable living-room area with a soft couch and
armchairs, other tables and chairs for eating, restrooms and snacks and other
food. The chocolate chip muffin was a hit with my granddaughter. Eventually, even the delay notices stopped, and it was
time to bid farewell to my son and his daughter. We didn’t wait until the train
arrived; remembering his daughter sobbing and clinging to me at the airport on
my previous visit. Of course, there was no guarantee that I would not be the
one sobbing and clinging. I know that other mothers endure children living at
all ends of the earth, and sometimes go very long periods of time without
seeing them. I know that sometimes it is because of horrible circumstances in
the world. So, in that I am lucky that it has only been a year, that we can
employ the miracle of video chat often, and other social media outlets keep us
connected. Yet, there is nothing that makes up for the touch, the sound, the
smell and the comfort of being in close proximity to family. At least, for me.

The California Zephyr is now sweeping me away; we are
within 2 hours of Chicago. I spent some time in the wonderful Observation car,
feeling sunlight on me, taking snapshots as we crossed the Mississippi River,
watching the farmlands go by, and enjoying the fried chicken I had brought with
me. Evidently, after comparing train travel notes with my daughter-in-law’s
grandmother, I found out that bringing fried chicken was considered mandatory
for train trips for several generations.This train car is pretty chilly, something I wouldn’t
ordinarily mind, however the air is blowing out of the under window vent at
blizzard speed and there is pretty much no way to block or redirect it. It is blowing
directly on my shoulder and the side of my head. I am glad this is not the train
I will be sleeping on because that would be just miserable. I am realizing
that, for whatever cost saving reasons, these long distance trains suffer from
age. They are clean and mostly comfortable, but each car seems to have its own
environmental quirks. I’ve noticed quite a few people wear hooded sweatshirts
that end up being cinched up around their faces, and there are plenty of big,
bed-sized blankets in tow. I am seriously thinking of going shopping in Union
Station for another blanket for myself, as the towel-sized one that comes in
the “comfort kit” just wasn’t enough. I’ve been thinking wistfully about all
the blankets I’ve crocheted and how I wish I had one right now! I am also not
sure of when I will get to post this, as there isn’t even a hint of wi-fi on
this train right now.

The next leg of my trip, back on the Lakeshore Limited
doesn’t start until 9:30 PM with an anticipated arrival time in NYC at 6:30 PM.
Considering that this train ran 2 hours late coming out here, I am anticipating
not getting to Penn Station until more like 8:30 PM. So, I may not be seeing
Jamesburg until more like 10:30 pm. But I am looking at that possible delay as
just more quiet time for me. The purpose of this train trip was twofold – first
it was much less expensive than the never-discounted airfare to Iowa, and
second, a chance for me spend some reflective, restful time, away from all the
daily obligations, catastrophes, worries and drama we all deal with. And that part has been very successful.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

After filling out the accident form and sitting for a
while with ice on my knee and my elbow, I felt well enough to explore the
California Zephyr. My seat was on the top level, which meant climbing up a very
narrow set of stairs that curved around tightly. However, the upper level of the car was just as roomy
as the Lakeshore Limited, the controls for the seat back and the footrest were
different, but I figured them out.

I walked back to the Observation Car, and it was awash in
bright sunlight. The walls and ceiling of the car were all window. Down a set
of those same kind of stairs was a snack car, and I indulged in a coffee and a
bag of trail mix. I took it back up to the observation car and settled down at
a table. My trip was going to be short in relation to the route of the train,
and I thought that once the train got further west it might be a little more
difficult to find a seat in the car. But this early in the trip I had plenty of
room to enjoy my snack and the sunlight.

It was obvious that the Zephyr has not been updated in
quite some time, and, as in the Lakeshore Limited, the place where it shows is in the bathrooms. All
bathrooms are on the lower level, and, at least on the car I was on, they are
clustered in the front of the car, along
a passageway that was barely wide enough to open the door. Inside, they were
tinier than an airplane bathroom. Part of the welcoming announcement when I
first boarded was a rather lengthy reminder to everyone to be considerate of
others and keep the bathrooms clean. They probably get dirty a lot faster than
the ones on the Lakeshore Limited since they are so small.

It was only a few hours later we crossed the
Mississippi into Iowa, and shortly thereafter arrived at my destination, Mount
Pleasant. The train station there was an old fashioned one-room structure with
wooden bench seating.But I never had to sit down because family was waiting
for me, and that is what the train ride was really all about. Next week, I get
to do it all again, in reverse.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

The Lakeshore Limited arrived 2 hours late to Chicago (all that stopping in the middle of the night),
but luckily my layover was long enough to not create a rush. I got my 43-pound
checked bag back, as there is no checked baggage for the short trip to Mount
Pleasant. This is something important to remember, as it means you have to wrangle your suitcase through the train station and onto the train. I spent my layover time
wandering around Union Station and taking photos of the classic, historic
architecture.

Much of it had recently been repaired after an unfortunate
incident in 2016 when a train passenger was hit in the head by falling concrete
that fractured her skull.Depending on what train you are leaving on, waiting
passengers are asked to sit on specified areas, i.e., A, B, C, D, etc. My train
was in the C group, and 30 minutes before the train was scheduled to leave, we
were called to line up, just like you do in the airport. However, after lining up, we had to walk all
the way across to the other side of the station — something I expected that
mature people with tickets for guaranteed seats would do in an orderly fashion.
This, unfortunately, did not happen. As we approached the platform area, people
began walking faster and faster. Some people began passing others who were ahead of them
in the line. Once our tickets were scanned and the line proceeded to the
platform things became even more disorderly.The train stretched out for quite some distance, and
the conductors instructed that all coach passengers (which we all were, since
sleepers and business class get boarded first) had to proceed waaaay down the
platform. (Describing the platform is also important to the rest of the story.)
The platform is concrete, with tracks on both sides. Huge concrete pillars run
down the center of the platform. From each trackside edge to about halfway
across to the pillars is a bright yellow, bumpy covering of some type, presumably
to caution people from walking there. However, if you are going to your train
with one very large suitcase, and one small suitcase, it is pretty impossible
to stay on the smooth concrete. In addition, at this point, anything resembling
an orderly line breaks down. People rush past on the left side, on the right
side, around the columns. Some are running. If someone stops to ask a conductor
a question it creates a bottleneck with people careening to a stop, or bolting
past. I was ridiculously trying to
maintain my place in line as the crowd just surged around me. One of the wheels
of my big suitcase got caught in the yellow plating material; it fell over and
pulled me and my other suitcase down with it.
I fell flat on my face — actually my elbow and knee —and slid a little
bit on that skin-ripping surface. Not a single person stopped to help me, and I
pulled myself back onto my feet as quickly as I could, despite the pain,
because I really thought I was going to be trampled. This was probably one of
the most disappointing moments of my life. (I rarely pull rank, but damn, I AM 62 years old) No one even bothered to tell a
conductor, hey, a lady fell down back there, I’m in too much of a hurry to help
her, but maybe you should.When I finally limped down to the coach car assigned to
my destination, it was really empty. I just don’t know where all those people
were rushing to, whether it was for window seats or some other preference.
However, this train is double decker, with great views from a regular seat, and
then the famous sightseeing car with glass walls and ceiling, swivel armchairs,
and tables with seating.After I climbed up the steps and took a seat — a
window seat — I stopped a passing Amtrak
employee, showed him my bloody knee and asked for both first aid materials and
an incident report. An ice pack would be especially nice, I told him. He found
some Band-Aids and some alcohol wipes (OUCHIE!) for me, and told me the
conductor for my car would return shortly to assist me.The conductor was a lovely woman, and she was very
concerned, even offering to get me off the train for medical care. I assured
her that I didn’t need that, but in light of the fact that things always hurt
worse the next day, I really wanted some ice and a report form. She supplied me
with both. I was surprised that the first aid materials were so sparse on the
train. She had to bring me a plastic cup with ice in it, and eventually got me
a plastic trash bag to put the ice in. It was a bit leaky, but the quick
application of ice did provide pain relief and kept down the swelling. I put
the footrest up at my seat, took some acetaminophen, cleaned out the abrasions,
and tried to relax. It was going to be a
5 hour trip to Mount Pleasant and I didn’t want to be a bloody, limping mess
when I got off the train and greeted my family.More in the next dispatch.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Good morning Ohio! It was an interesting night aboard the
Lake Shore Limited. I had a reservation for dinner at 8:15 and arrived at the
dining car to find there were no seats available. Those of us who had reservations were asked to stand in the “vestibule” of the train to wait for
seating. The “vestibule” is a fancy word for that no man’s land between train
cars. Feeling uncomfortable and usafe, we decided to wait in the car immediately in front of the dining car
instead. We heard someone say that the dining car closed at 9, and I said,
half-jokingly “I hope we don’t stand here until 9 and then get told it’s
closed.” This infuriated someone behind me in line so much that she went back into the
dining car and complained enough that she was given immediate seating. That
didn’t sit well with those of us left out in the vestibule who were ahead of her in the line.

Eventually I was seated, joining a dad and his son at a
table where they were already eating. The fun discussion with young Nick about
his trip to New York City was thoroughly delightful. We talked about the statue
of Balto in Central Park, dinosaurs, animal rescue and dogs. It was the
highlight of the evening.

I then returned to my seat to settle in for the night. I
had purchased a comfort kit for $10, which included a blanket, blow up neck pillow,
earplugs and an eye mask. I noticed that more experienced travelers had brought
full size pillows and blankets with them. Good thing to remember next time
around.

The seat has plenty of leg room, and there is a foot rest
that comes up. Too bad there are not instructions at the seat to show you how
to operate it. Eventually, I stopped fooling around with the stick-shift-looking
knob and just pulled it up by hand.

The car was quiet, but for those who need complete dark to
sleep, I highly recommend the eye mask, as the center row of light on the
ceiling stay on. Bringing your own blanket is a good idea also, as the Amtrak
blanket is way too small, and the car gets really chilly. I was glad to have an
empty seat next to me so I could eventually curl up across the two seats. For
some reason, my legs were just restless and I had a hard time getting
comfortable.

I apologize to my fellow passengers who were serenaded to
“Baby Shark” at 7:15 am. I forgot to turn off my workday wake up alarm. I
turned it off pretty quickly. A few minutes later, though, everyone forgot
about my alarm when a the “Dining Car Open for Breakfast” announcement blasted
over the PA system. Apparently there are only two settings on that system —
earsplitting and unintelligible.

The train seemed to stop on the tracks several times during
the night —and this morning we were crawling along at a snail’s pace for quite
some time. We are finally zipping past foggy fields of corn and other crops as
the sun tries to break through. I’ve got my coffee and a protein bar and the
internet came up and allowed me to post my first two dispatches. Even with some
of the glitches, this has been a fun experience. Good thing, because I have to
do it again for my return trip.

Welcome to the Smile Side of Life

As a certified Laughter Wellness Instructor and Laughter Yoga Leader, I could say that laughter is my business, or at least my passion. Each day I learn how important laughter and humor is to our lives; how much it reflects our humanity and affects our physical and emotional well being. Unfortunately, most of us don't laugh enough to gain the wonderful health benefits. Perhaps we think life is too serious for daily laughter, or we can't find enough funny stuff to laugh about. We may not have been exposed to Laughter Wellness and the concept of laughing as an exercise; laughing for the health of it.

In this blog I will not only be looking for, and writing about, laughter and humor in daily life, but also what you can do to bring more of it into your own life. I will help you understand that opening up yourself to laughter and joy helps you through the times of disappointment and sorrow because those emotions represent both sides of the pendulum swing of life. Let's spend as much time as possible on life's Smile Side.